2026 NFL Schedule: Steelers Continue To Get Absolutely Screwed Over By The NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 schedule has already been leaked, along with the rest of the NFL. There are a handful of quirks to it this year, including their first Week 1 home game since 2023. They will also be a part of the first-ever NFL contest in France, as they will be the designated road team against the New Orleans Saints in Week 7, but they won't have a bye week before or after that contest. There are plenty of other interesting little nuggets there, but the positive ones stop quickly. 

The Steelers have the same exact scenario with their schedule that they had the previous two seasons: the back half of the season is an absolute gauntlet. Seven of the last eight games will be against playoff teams from the previous season. They only face one playoff team in the first nine games, with a bye week mixed in there. That does include the game in France.

Every now and then, every team has to go through a tough stretch of games during any given season. The frustrating thing here for the Steelers and their fans is the fact that this scenario has played out three years in a row. Once is fine, twice is concerning, but having this happen three times in a row is a trend. This is hardly a coincidence at this point; it's become the new normal.

The Steelers have had mixed results with these gauntlets in the past. In 2024, they won four of their first five games in that brutal stretch but then lost four in a row to close out the season, which eventually ended in a Wild Card blowout. In 2025, they had a brutal stretch of games that led to fans demanding that Mike Tomlin gets fired, only to rattle off four wins in the next five games to clinch the AFC North crown. 

Right before that stretch of games against playoff teams begin, the Steelers will have to travel to Ohio to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football. If fans want to get technical, they can say the rough stretch starts right after the bye week with a road divisional game in primetime. At least the NFL was merciful enough to give Pittsburgh a bye week right in the middle of the season, as opposed to Week 5.

Steelers' Other Concerns With Wild Schedule

The constant barrage of short weeks from 2024 was infuriating for the team. They have that again in 2026, although they at least won't be all bunched up like they were that season. In total, they will have four short weeks, or five if you include the team having to miss out on key practices to fly to France and recover from jet lag. They will only have 12 weeks where they can have a normal practice schedule. 

One of those short weeks will be in Week 4 on the road against the Cleveland Browns, as that game is set for Thursday Night Football. This will be the fourth time in five years that they have to travel for a divisional matchup on a Thursday, and they are historically awful in those games. Hopefully, having a new coaching staff will change their mindset for these contests, so it no longer looks like a free win for the other team.

There have been rumors that quarterback Aaron Rodgers does not want to play in a bunch of primetime games. Unfortunately for him, the Steelers are slated to play four stand-alone games in a five-week span, which starts with the aforementioned game against the Bengals on Sunday Night Football. That stretch will also include Pittsburgh's first appearance in the annual Black Friday game against the Denver Broncos.

What do you think about the Steelers getting yet another late-season gauntlet, as well as their 2026 schedule as a whole? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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